The physical office workplace as a resource for mental health – A systematic scoping review

Previous studies indicated a potential influence of physical workplace characteristics (e.g. light, noise, air quality) on employees' mental health (e.g. stress, fatigue, or mood). Until recently, most workplace-context research had a pathogenic instead of a salutogenic orientation. In this systematic scoping review (PRISMA) ten indicators of mental health are taken as a starting point, including both mental well-being and -illness. This provides a more holistic exploration of methods, measures, and employee-workplace theories that explain how physical workplace resources promote employees’ mental health. The directions of these relationships are also observed. Results show that some workplace characteristics are studied with many validated measures, while others appear less diverse or so far lack approaches with objective measures. Results show that some indicators of mental health (e.g. concentration, and stress) have frequently been related to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) (e.g. light and daylight), while others (e.g. burnout, engagement, and depression) have received less attention in relation to the physical workplace (especially to biophilia, views, look and feel). This review identifies important avenues for future research, potential objective and subjective measures for employee mental health in relation to the office workplace and calls for a more holistic approach to mental health at work.